MaDe to Endure
by lateVMlover
Summary: This is the sequel to "LoVe Forged in Fire". It takes place after Logan and Veronica's honeymoon. They now must balance college with their newly married life. Mac and Dick must face a new challenge that will reveal if they can endure what life throws at them as a couple. All supporting characters will be featured in this story like all previous. Much love and romance in this!
1. Chapter 1

**This is the promised sequel to "LoVe Forged in Fire". It takes place in the spring semester of their junior year at Hearst. If you have not read the previous stories that began with "Tear Away the Mask", do NOT read this one! This story will be like all the others, featuring LoVe, MaDi, and the various supporting characters that are both original to VM and my own creation. It won't be as angst ridden as the previous story—I promise! However, like "Ties That Bind", this story will be centered more around Mac and Dick.**

**Disclaimer: Veronica Mars and the characters from VM belong to Rob Thomas. The original characters are all mine!**

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

*******_Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean******_

Veronica had her head on Logan's shoulders, her hand holding his. "I can't believe our honeymoon is over!" she said with a sigh.

"Yeah, it was a perfect week," Logan said, happier than he'd ever been in his life. "I can't wait to tell Dick that I got you to swim with the sharks!"

"That was very cool! But so was the top of the volcano on the Big Island. The views!" she said with another dreamy sigh. "I didn't know anything on earth could be that beautiful."

Logan gave her an adoring look. "I did," he said softly. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "We are totally going to have to make Hawaii an annual trip."

"I don't think it would be as special if we went every year," she pointed out. "I want us to go go to Europe on our next trip. Maybe after graduation, we can back pack across Europe. I can't wait to show you the places I saw in Italy!"

"If we back packed, you know Dick would want to go. And Mac," Logan said with a grin.

"That'd be fun. Wallace and Thea. We'd have a great time," she said.

"Could you handle being away from Richie that long?" Logan asked her with a knowing grin.

Veronica frowned. "You kept me so distracted this week that I haven't missed him as much as I thought I would," she admitted, feeling a bit guilty over that fact.

"That was the idea!" he said with a wolfish grin.

"I can't wait to see him! Do you think he's grown any?" she asked.

"Possibly," Logan said with a shrug.

"I wonder how Trina managed all week without us or Dick and Mac?" she speculated.

"I checked on her three days ago, and she seemed okay. Mary stayed over to help," Logan said.

"I'm glad she and Mary have gotten so close. Her ASL has become very good. Mac said she's surpassed her already," Veronica shared.

"That's not surprising since they spend more time together practicing," Logan said.

"What do you think this new year will bring for us? I hope it's less pain filled," Veronica said, frowning as she thought about the bombing that killed Weidman, Jazmin's rape, the loss of her baby.

"It will be," he assured her, putting his arm around her shoulder. He had a good feeling about this year. Things were going to be perfect.

******_The Airport*******_

Dick and Mac arrived back in San Diego a few hours before Logan and Veronica were scheduled to arrive. They were waiting for their luggage.

"I can't believe we are back home already!" Dick said.

Mac threw her arms around her neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. "Thank you for the most wonderful vacation of my life!" she said.

Dick grinned. "Even better than Italy?" he asked hopefully.

"Totally!" she said, returning his grin. Dick had shown her the most romantic, wonderful time. He'd been sweet and thoughtful at every moment. He had shown her more than once that sex was not the only thing he valued from her. Every part of her grew to love him more over the past five days. "It was perfect!"

"You were pretty perfect!" Dick told her with a lecherous grin. He loved the fact that he alone knew what a total sex-kitten she was under that serious, brilliant exterior.

Mac laughed. "Oh, there's our luggage!" she said, pointing.

Dick grabbed their bags. A half hour later, the taxi pulled up to Mac's place.

"Are your roommates home?" Dick asked as they walked up to the house.

She shook her head. "Parker isn't due back until Saturday or Sunday. She and Piz went to spend some time together in Los Angeles after the wedding. Daisy is in Santa Barbra until Saturday," Mac said.

"So we have the place to ourselves for another twenty-four hours?" Dick asked eagerly.

"Yep," she said, flashing her dimples at him. She took her bag into her bedroom. She started to unpack it.

Dick frowned at her. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Unpacking," she answered without looking up.

"I have a better idea," he said.

She glanced up at him and burst out laughing. He had stripped down to his underwear. "I can see that!" she exclaimed. "Aren't you tired?"

"Yep. We should totally rest up! Jet lag is no laughing matter!" Dick said gleefully. "You can unpack later. Right now you should totally get into that bed."

"Oh, I should, huh?" she asked in amusement.

Dick picked up her suitcase and laid it on the floor. Then he pounced on her, making her laugh as he nibbled on her neck. Before she could move away, he'd picked her up and tossed her onto the bed.

*******_The Beach House*******_

Logan opened the door to their house and set his luggage inside the door. He held up his hand, not letting Veronica through.

"Just a minute," he said. He took her bags and put them inside the door against the wall. Then he flashed her a grin. Before she realized his intentions, he'd swept her up in his arms. "I gotta carry you across the threshold."

Her arms went around his neck, and she smiled in delight as he stepped through the door with her. "I forgot this is our first time coming home as a married couple," she remarked.

He slowly set her down on her feet, shutting the door behind her. "Welcome home, wife," he said. He gave her a soft, sweet kiss.

"Logan? Is that you?" Trina called out. She stepped closer to the front door and grinned when she saw him. "I see the honeymoon isn't over!"

Logan turned to her and winked. "Never!" he vowed.

"Welcome home!" Trina said. She stepped up to hug him and her new sister. "How was the honeymoon?"

Veronica reached down to pick up a bag. "Too perfect for words!" she said.

"It was awesome!" Logan exclaimed. He grabbed the rest of the bags. "Let me take this to our room, and we'll tell you all about it."

"Where's Richie?" Veronica asked eagerly. She looked around the living room.

Trina smirked. "Actually, your dad has him. He figured you might not make visiting him and telling him about your trip a priority without an added incentive!" she said.

"Seriously?" Veronica asked in surprise.

Logan snickered. "He knows you well," he said on his way to their room.

"We already posted a bunch of pictures on our Facebook page!" Veronica said. "What more does he want?"

"Details I'm assuming," Trina said with a grin. "As do I!"

"Fine," she said. "I'll go freshen up. Then we can go get him!"

"Works for me," Trina replied.

A half hour later, Veronica was at her Dad's and Alicia's. Darrel was on the floor trying to get Richie to roll over, a feat he had yet to accomplish. Alicia and Keith were shouting out encouragement. They looked up when Veronica came in.

"We're back!" she announced.

They got to their feet to hug and congratulate them. Veronica wasted no time in picking up Richie and hugging and kissing him. "I missed you so much!" she told him. He smiled at her, putting his little hand on her cheek. The gesture was probably accidental, but it touched her deeply. Logan grinned at her and held out his hands. Veronica reluctantly surrendered him.

"I told Veronica if she wanted to see my son she had to see you guys," Trina said.

Keith laughed. "That's what we figured! Well, have a seat. We want to hear all about your honeymoon!" he said.

"Are you sure about that, Keith?" Logan asked with a smirk.

"You can call me Dad now," Keith told him. "And naturally we want the PG version of the trip!"

Logan's dirty joke left his mind at Keith's careless mention of calling him Dad. He wanted to ask him if he was serious or not, but he felt embarrassed. Instead, he held Richie in his lap and listened as Veronica began sharing all the details of their trip.

Later that night, he laid on the bed and watched his wife go through her normal night time routine. He idly wondered if ten or twenty years from then if her routine would still be the same. His bride was often unpredictable, but there were some things that never changed. The thought gave him comfort. He smiled at her as she pulled back the covers and crawled into bed next to him. His arm went around her as she placed her head on his chest.

"I can't believe this gets to be our life now," she said as she smiled in contentment.

"_You_ can't believe it? _I _can't believe it!" he said, grinning down at her. "Now you'll have to hire a very expensive attorney to get rid of me."

"Well, I could just change my major to law," she said, giving him a wicked grin.

"I guess I could, too. And I'll be _much _more motivated than you!" he informed her. "It'd take you years of litigation to get away from me. By then, you'll have forgotten why you wanted to leave in the first place!"

She laughed. "Well, I then, I guess you'll do," she said. She rose up slightly, so she could kiss him. The kiss broke off when a yawn spilled out of her. "I'm sorry! I'm so wiped!"

"It's okay. I know I kind of wore you out on the honeymoon," he said with a leer.

She closed her eyes and laid back down on his chest. "You did. But I didn't mind," she said, smiling at the memories.

They were silent a few minutes. Finally, Logan said, "So do you think your dad meant what he said earlier?"

"About what?"

"About me calling him Dad," Logan said.

Veronica sat up and looked at him. She knew how badly Logan felt the lack of a parent. "Yes, I do. Dad always wanted a son. He loves being a stepdad to Darrel and Wallace, but I know he loves you, too. He wouldn't have said that if he didn't mean it," Veronica told him. "Out of respect to Alicia's late husband, he'd never ask Wallace or Darrel to do that, though. But I know he'd like it if they did call him that, especially Darrel."

"You don't think it would be a little strange?" he asked tentatively.

"Maybe at first," Veronica conceded. "But I think you'll both grow used to it after a bit." She reached out and squeezed his hand.

Logan smiled. On some level, he knew that when he married Veronica he didn't just gain a wife but a family. However, he didn't really think of the implications when it came to Keith Mars. Logan knew of no finer man than Veronica's dad. Veronica couldn't possibly have a better father. He was everything Logan's own father was not. Thinking of finally having a dad made him feel very emotional. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but words escaped him.

Veronica gave him a compassionate smile, understanding what this meant to him. She kissed him. His arms automatically went around her, and he pulled her close.

"My dad is a very lucky guy, and so am I," she told him before kissing him again.

In that moment, Logan wanted to argue and insist that he was the lucky one. However, the feel of her body pressing against him distracted him.

******_The Next Day******_

After lounging and playing most of the day away, Mac and Dick got up the next day and went to Dick's. Mac had forgotten that Weevil was moving into the pool house and was surprised when he came into the kitchen from the side door.

"Oh, hey, Weevil," she said, greeting him.

"You're back. How was the trip?" Weevil inquired.

"Wonderful. So beautiful and fun. Dick got us this cabana right by the water. It was private. It had a hot tub off the deck that faced the water. It was the most relaxing five days of my life," Mac said. "You'll have to take Jazmin there some day."

"It may take me years to afford a trip like that," Weevil said with a grimace.

"Well, when you finally get there, you'll see that it's worth it," Mac said. "How's Jazmin?"

"She's good. Killing David hasn't seemed to have affected her as much as I thought it would," Weevil said with a frown. He still wasn't sure if he was happy about that or disturbed. She was so angelic in his mind, so innocent that he had trouble coming to terms with the fact that she had unloaded a gun into David and slept better because of it.

"I guess that's not too surprising," Mac said. "He figured into her nightmares. She killed him, so now she has nothing to fear."

"I know. It's just hard to see her as someone that can take a life and not lose any sleep," Weevil said.

Dick came into the kitchen. "Dude. How's it going?" he asked.

"Good. We finished the year in the black, so Nico is going to shop around for actual medical insurance," Weevil shared.

"You don't have medical insurance?" Dick asked in surprise.

"Yea, through my job at Hearst. I've kept working there, so I'll have insurance," Weevil said.

"Does that mean you'll quit that job?" Mac asked.

Weevil nodded. "Yes. Today's my last day there. Classes start Monday. I'm taking a few," he admitted.

Mac grinned. "Really? You're taking more than one?" she asked.

Weevil looked embarrassed as he admitted, "Yeah. Three this semester. Jason's a real nag. I know women get the reputation for nagging, but Jason bitches about stuff a lot more than his sister. He wouldn't shut up and caught me at a weak moment. Somehow I ended up enrolling in three classes."

Dick snickered. "Careful, dude. He may have you joining a fraternity before you know it!"

"When hell freezes over," Weevil said firmly. "J & E is staying busy. Between it and the twins, I don't have time for anything else. Of course, I'd die before joining the pod people."

"Like they'd have you," Dick said with a sneer.

"I'm so wounded," Weevil replied dryly.

"We're about to head to my bio parents for lunch," Mac said. "Then my parents for dinner. Full day."

"I'm about to head to work. I'm going to stop by J & E before heading to Hearst. My final shift is two to ten," Weevil said.

"Later, dude," Dick said. Weevil waved and left. Mac and Dick followed him out.

A short time later, Mac and Dick were at the Sinclairs passing out some souvenirs they'd picked up. Lauren really loved the handcrafted necklace Mac got her. Mac had given Marilyn and Madison a similar one. Madison had been surprised by the gesture and managed to give Mac a polite thank you.

"So are you ready for classes?" her dad asked.

"Yeah, I have some challenging courses this semester. All my gen-ed requirements are done," Mac said.

"That's the beauty of being a business major," Dick said with a grin, "the gen-ed classes were the challenging ones! Smooth sailing from here!"

Everyone laughed.

"Well, you have a decided advantage over your classmates since you are already in business for yourself," Marilyn said.

"Yep and every time I get assigned to create a business model or a similar project, it's a piece of cake," Dick said smugly.

"Madison's going to get to decorate a real house this semester," Lauren said eagerly. "Isn't that cool?"

Mac looked at Madison. "Really? Do you have a house picked out yet?" she wondered.

"No, but I have a month," Madison said with a shrug. "We're not allowed to use a family member's house."

"You can use mine if you want," Mac found herself offering. Then she winced. "I mean I'll talk to my roommates, but Jazmin had supplied most of the decoration in the place. Now she's moved out."

Marilyn gave her a proud look. The kindness of Mac's gesture wasn't lost on her. "Cindy, that's so generous of you!" she gushed.

Madison looked wary, but said, "Are you sure? 'Cause I don't want to hear about it if you hate what I do."

"Don't worry. Daisy will probably be in charge, so you'll have to deal with her. If you can please her, you can please anyone!" Mac said with a grin.

"Daisy? That really awful Hispanic girl Veronica's always with?" Madison asked, blanching.

"She's an acquired taste, but she's great once you get to know her. Veronica and her were enemies when they first met," Mac shared. "She's the first woman I've ever met that could effectively hold her own against Veronica. Eventually, Veronica found her amusing, especially when she quit dating Wallace."

"There you go, sweetie. If you can manage to handle a difficult client before you graduate, you'll do very well on your own some day," Marilyn said with an encouraging smile.

"Well, if they agree, okay," Madison said. "Thanks."

"Hold your thanks until you manage to deal with Daisy without insulting her. It'll be a real exercise in self-restraint," Mac couldn't resist adding.

"Like that'll happen. Maddie's never learned to hold her catty comments," Dick said with a snicker.

Madison glared at him. Their father intervened before things got out of hand. "Now I'm sure Madison knows dealing with people you don't like is just a part of business," he said, giving her a pointed look. "It'll be a good experience for her."

Marilyn clapped her hands excitedly. "And you two will have a project to do together! It'll be so wonderful!" she exclaimed.

"I'll talk to the girls, but why don't you plan to come over next Sunday afternoon? You can look at the place and get a feel for our tastes and stuff," Mac said.

"Did you guys get out the blood stain from Jazmin's room where she killed the lunatic David?" Dick asked.

Mac elbowed him as her mom gasped at the reminder. "Dick!"

"Well, I was just wondering. I never go upstairs since your room is downstairs," Dick said sheepishly.

"I don't think I could live in a house where some guy died in," Lauren said with a shudder.

"If Daisy can deal with sleeping in the room, then Parker and I can get past it," Mac said. "A redecoration would probably go a long way to helping with that."

"Maybe you should get started earlier than your class requires, Madison," their mom suggested. "I'm sure it'll make things much easier for the girls."

Madison grimaced. She wasn't sure this was a good idea, but she did need a house to decorate. Plus, it'll make them happy if she and Mac could manage to get along. Now that she realized Lauren still loved her and considered Madison just as much her sister as before, it was easier to let go of her resentment toward Mac. Not to mention, Mac's mom Cindy was pretty cool. "Sure," she said.

Mac hoped this impulsive offer of hers didn't turn into a huge regret, but she figured Daisy would be more than a match for Madison.

******_The Next Day******_

Daisy drove into Neptune with a lot on her mind. She'd spent the week talking to her cousins about Jason. They'd convinced her that she'd overreacted with him. Most of them had been in Puerto Rico and saw first hand how much Jason cared about her when he'd came with her to the funeral. Her cousin Nancy told her that she was being a spoiled brat. Her mom had told her that love never came without risks and some heartache. When she finally got it right, it'd be worth it. Daisy wasn't sure, but she knew that she missed Jason much more than she ever thought she would. Not being in Neptune made it harder to hold on to her anger toward him. She regretted asking Mac to make sure they had none of the same classes this semester. If they weren't in class together, she'd have no real excuse to see him.

Her phone rang as she was pulling up at her new house. "Hello?"

"Hi, Daisy. It's Leo."

"Deputy Leo. It's good to hear from you. How are you?" she asked. Leo was very sweet and a good-looking guy. If he didn't cause her pulse to race as much as Jason's, it didn't matter. At least she didn't have to worry about him hurting her.

"Great. I was wondering if you were back in town," he asked.

"I just pulled up to the house actually. Perfect timing," she said as she turned off the car.

"Do you feel like going out to dinner?" he asked hopefully.

Daisy hesitated. She didn't want to lead on a perfectly nice man. Then again, a dinner didn't have to be a big deal. She'd make a point of talking to him about where her head and heart were at. "That sounds great. Why don't you pick me up at seven?" she suggested.

"I'll see you then," he said.

Daisy hung up the phone feeling conflicted. She wasn't sure if she wanted to start the new year out playing games. She knew she could easily use Leo to torment Jason. A part of her wanted Jason to prove to her how much she mattered. She didn't want to risk letting him back in if he was just going to disappoint and hurt her a few months down the road. Finally, she opened up the car door and got out. Maybe she shouldn't worry so much. Maybe she should think of this as a new beginning. She'll go through whatever door opened up. Maybe she should just live in the moment. She was too young to start developing frown lines!

_******Chapter End*******_

_I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I can't say this story will be as exciting as some of the others, but I can promise a lot of romance at the very least! Please review and let me know your thoughts. _


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter is dedicated to Maggi Esk, who should enjoy a particular development in it! I hope 2014 is a better year for you, Maggi! Thanks for reading ALL my stories!**

**Any _Arrow_ fans reading this, I just posted a new _Arrow_ story. If you're still not watching _Arrow_, you should be! :) (Yes, I'm obsessed)**

Chapter 2: Anticipation

******_Sunday******_

Piz and Parker made it back to Neptune around lunch time. Parker was happy that Piz got the job he wanted in Los Angeles, but she was also sad. However, she didn't want him to feel guilty for taking the job. It was much closer than New York, so she was determined to make the most of it.

"So when are you breaking the news to Wallace?" Parker asked as they pulled into her drive way.

Piz grimaced. "Today. I really should drive over to Dick's now and talk to him. He emailed me two apartments he found. I hope he won't be too mad," Piz said.

"Well, he might if you left him with no place to stay," Parker said. "But Dick loves having Wallace with him. I'm not sure how he'd do with just Weevil there anyway!"

Piz laughed. "Good point," he agreed. "When I tell him I already found an efficiency apartment close to the Santa Monica pier, do you think he'll forgive me?"

"Probably," she said, smiling. She leaned over to kiss him goodbye. "I have cheerleading practice in the morning at eight. Can you meet me for lunch at 11:30?"

"Sure," he said. She grabbed her bag out of the back seat and waved goodbye. He drove over to Dick's. It was hard to think of the Casablanca's huge house as Wallace's even though he lived there.

He rang the bell. When no one answered, he opened the door and went in. Wallace had mentioned Dick had a habit of not answering the door when he was otherwise occupied.

He found Dick and Weevil in the living room engaged in battle on the Xbox. Wallace was sitting in the chair cheering them on. He glanced up when Piz called out a greeting.

"Dude, you're just in time to see Dick get creamed!" Wallace said.

"Dude, what are you talking about? I'm totally kickin' Weevil's ass!" Dick exclaimed with a smirk. Weevil cast him a dirty look but said nothing, focusing on the game.

"Yeah, then you get to play me, and I'm going to kick your ass!" Wallace said smugly.

"Whatever!" Dick scoffed.

"Can we talk?" Piz asked Wallace.

"Sure. Let's go into the kitchen and get a drink," Wallace said.

Piz filled him in about the job interview he had in L.A. and subsequent job offer.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Wallace asked with a frown.

"Well, I didn't really think I'd get it. I didn't want to upset you if I didn't have to," Piz admitted.

"It sounds like a great job, so I can't be mad at you for that," Wallace said with a sigh. "But I was looking forward to rooming with you again."

"I know. You've been such a great friend to me. More than I deserve. I'm going to miss you a lot," Piz said.

"Well, at least you're just a short drive away this time. L.A. is much better than New York!" Wallace said with a grin.

"Tell me about it. I'm just glad I didn't have to go through a New York winter," Piz said.

"How's Parker taking the news?" Wallace wondered.

"She's been great. We both feel that since we stayed in love even when I was in New York, L.A. should be a piece of cake. I can easily drive to see her. We're going to take turns. She'll drive down to see me one weekend, and then I'll drive to see her and all you guys the next," Piz said.

"Good. I'm happy for you," Wallace said. "So do you want to hang out and watch me make Dick cry?"

Piz laughed. "Absolutely!"

*****_Jalenos*****_

Jazmin came out of her room after talking to her father. He seemed to need almost daily assurances that she was okay. Her exasperation warred with her own sense of guilt, so she tried to be as patient with him as she could. The one good thing that had come out of her horrible nightmare with David was a marked improvement between her and her father. She now really felt that she wasn't less important than her brother in her family's hierarchy. In fact, she'd come to realize that her father did respect her as both an adult and his daughter. Unfortunately, he remained convinced that it was the man's job to look after and protect the woman. Her weakness in her handling the trauma of David's abuse had probably cemented that belief. Then again she had detected a look of pride in his eyes at her final act that resulted in ending David's miserable existence permanently. She shook her head. Her father was who he was, and she loved him.

Jazmin knew that it bothered Eli that she wasn't more upset over killing David. However, he didn't quite get that killing David wasn't an act of murder. It wasn't vengeance. She had nothing to feel guilty about. The man had intended on killing her, on ending her life. Jazmin saw it in his eyes. Getting Joseph to buy her the guy hadn't been done out of malice intent either. She knew this. So defending herself against her attacker with the same gun had not been a sin. Her grandmother had told her to go to confession because she'd taken a life. Although she had agreed to do so, she hadn't repented of her act. When she discussed it with her priest, he had said taking of a life was never okay in God's eyes. However, King David had been a man of war in the Bible. He had killed hundreds of enemies in defense of his people and his own life, yet God still called him a man after God's own heart. His one great sin recorded in the Bible had been when he'd taken an innocent life. When confronted with his sin, David had confessed and found forgiveness. Her priest had grown up in Chicago's southside. He knew what evil and depravity were. He had given her absolution for action against David, a man her priest agreed who was nothing like his namesake King David. After shooting David, Jazmin slept just fine. In actuality, the peace she got from knowing he could never hurt her again helped her more than anything.

Her mother had even shown her more kindness than ever before. In fact, her mother had been the only one to not ask questions about what had happened. She hadn't resented Jazmin's silence. She'd hugged her and said she was sorry for what had happened. She was sorry for not being there for Jazmin. Then she'd cried for Jazmin and with Jazmin. Jazmin didn't think she'd ever really understand her mother, but at least she knew that her mom did love her. Sometimes she hadn't been very convinced of that. Jazmin realized that some people were just built differently. Some people had an enormous capacity for love. Others let this capacity get filled up with other things. They allowed their own hurts and disappointments to taint the love they gave others. Her mother loved her, but she wasn't strong enough to handle the harsh realities of life. She pretended she was unaware of her father's unsavory business connections by throwing elaborate parties all the time. But she was Jazmin's mother, and she did love her.

Jazmin had her first appointment with Dr. Addison tomorrow afternoon. She went to his office on the fourth to fill out insurance forms and stuff, but she didn't get to actually meet with him. He'd been out of town for the holidays, so she'd been unable to meet him sooner—much to her father's annoyance. She was going to meet with him three times a week for a few weeks until he felt less face to face time was okay. As she walked into the living room, she observed her brother in silence.

He was on the couch watching a basketball game. However, it was apparent that his mind wasn't really focused on the game. His pensive gaze was focused on his cell phone. Jazmin knew he was probably looking at either a picture of Daisy or text from her. She moved to sit down next to him on the couch. She laid her head down on his shoulders; his arms went around hers.

"What are you focused on that has you looking so sad?" she asked him.

Jason sighed. "I know Daisy came back into town yesterday, but she didn't call me. I thought maybe she would. I don't know why I thought that. I sent her a text to see if she wanted to have dinner tonight. She sent me back a one word reply. No. That's all she said," Jason shared, looking sad about the fact.

Jazmin said nothing a moment. She knew it didn't make her brother feel any better when she came to his defense against Daisy. She thought about the woman and what she had learned about her since she met her. Finally, she said, "You know, Jay, some people handle hurts in different ways. Some like Veronica allow hurts to fuel them, make them stronger. Some people like me hold tightly to them until they burn a hole inside. Others like Daisy see hurts as a type of evidence that the person who claimed to love them didn't really mean it. They use the pain to build a wall."

"I love Daisy. I've tried to tell her that, to show her. I don't know any other way to convince her," her brother said in defeat.

"You know there's that old saying, 'If you love something, set it free.' There's more to it, but maybe Daisy just needs time. Time to figure out if her hurt is greater than her love for you. If she loves you enough, she will get past it," Jazmin said. She sat up and looked at her brother. "If I had loved Joseph more, I might've forgiven him for what he did to me. If I hadn't lost the baby, I probably would've forgiven him for cheating. But losing the baby worked to kill any bit of love I had for him. Only anger and emptiness filled me. There wasn't room for anything else."

"Do you think she'll come back to me?" Jason asked. The hopeful note in his voice hurt her to hear. It made her angry toward Daisy, but she kept her anger to herself. That wouldn't help her brother.

"I think if she really is the right woman for you, she'll want to forgive you and let you make it up to her. None of us are perfect. We're all going to mess up from time to time. Love is about giving one another the grace to mess up," Jazmin said. "If she doesn't have that in her for you, then you truly are better off without her. And if she does, she'll come around."

"So what should I do?" Jason asked.

"Maybe focus on other things for awhile. Don't date other women because that'd just convince her she was right to back away from you. But maybe you should let her come to you," Jazmin suggested.

Jason nodded. He did have a full plate. There was no end of tasks and things to occupy his time. Besides, he had neither the desire or energy to date anyone else. He hugged his sister. "Thanks, sis. You always know what to say," he said. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure," she said.

"Would you make an effort to befriend her? A real effort. I think it might make things easier if you two were real friends. Maybe she'd feel less insecure about my relationship with you if she didn't already resent you," Jason said.

Jazmin knew that was probably true, so she nodded. "I will for you. I love you and think you're the best person in the world. I cannot fathom why Daisy wouldn't want to be with you, but I'll do what I can to help her see how perfect you are," Jazmin said with a smile.

Jason rolled his eyes. "You do _not_ think I'm perfect, and you know it!" he reminded her.

She laughed. "You are perfect enough. Better than any other guy I know," she said.

He grinned. "I'll be sure and tell Eli that!" he teased.

"Well, you're _almost _better than any other guy I know," she corrected.

Jason chuckled. "That's what I thought!" he said.

"So what do you want to do for dinner?" Jazmin asked. "We really need to go to the grocery store."

"Why don't we try that new cafe on campus corner? O'Connell's, I think it's called. We can go grocery shopping after dinner," Jason suggested.

"Sounds great," Jazmin said. She got up. "Let me grab the list I made."

Five minutes later, they walked into the cafe. Since their apartment wasn't very far from campus, it didn't take them long to get there because Jason insisted on driving the short blocks. They'd need the car for groceries later anyway. They entered the cafe and looked around. It was one of those casual places where a diner ordered soups and various sandwiches and plates at the counter and paid. Then it was brought out to you. They looked over the selections and ordered. While Jason was paying, Jazmin glanced around for a table. She grinned when she saw Thea at a table reading a book. She walked over to her.

"Hey, Thea. Would you mind some company or are you in the middle of something?" Jazmin asked.

Thea looked up from her book and smiled when she recognized Jazmin. As always, her smile transformed her face, causing Jazmin to blink. "That smile of yours is something special," Jazmin said in bemusement.

Thea laughed, used to that sentiment. "I'd love to have you join me," she said. Then she caught sight of Jazmin's brother. "Your brother, too." Now that she'd been dating Wallace, Jason didn't make her quite so nervous. He smiled when he spotted her and heading to her table. She sighed in pleasure. He was still nice to look at, though. "Your brother is such a beautiful man."

Jazmin laughed as she sat in the chair across from Thea. "Yea, I know. You'll get used to it," Jazmin assured her.

"I am. I can now speak in whole sentences around him," she said with a self-deprecating smile as Jason sat down next to his sister.

"How are you, Athena?" Jason asked.

"Very well. Ready to get this semester over with, though," she said.

"Please tell me you're not studying already? Classes don't start until tomorrow!" Jazmin said with a groan.

Thea looked sheepish. "Well, my microbiology professor had his syllabus posted already. If I work ahead, I can have time to go to Wallace's game on Thursday night," she said.

Jazmin gave her an approving smile. "He's lucky to have you," Jazmin said.

Thea got a little starry-eyed. "I don't know about that. I feel pretty lucky myself," she admitted. "He's the first guy to ever notice me."

Jason laughed and shook his head. "Not true. Not at all. Other guys noticed you. They were just too intimidated by that incredible brain of yours," Jason told her.

Thea flushed in pleasure at his compliment. It was always nice to know that your long time crush did see you.

They brought the twins their food. "Have you already eaten?" Jazmin asked.

"Yes, you two go ahead. I don't mind," she said.

They began eating. As they ate, they shared their class schedule for the upcoming semester.

"Jason always takes more credits than I because he's got a double major," Jazmin said.

"I'm going to get a double masters, so there was no point in me getting a double major," Thea said.

"You're going to be in school a long time," Jazmin said with a grimace.

"Well, I'm just nineteen and will graduate in May. I should be able to finish graduate school and start medical school by the time Wallace graduates here. That is if he decides to get his masters," she shared. "If not, a year or two after he finishes."

"Are you going to test for your masters instead of writing a thesis?" Jason asked.

She nodded. "It'll be easier for me. I want to go to medical school at Standford, but my dad is pushing for Yale, where he went," she told them.

"Both are excellent choices," Jason said.

"Yeah. I figure I have two years to apply. If Wallace and I are still together, I'll go to whichever one is closer to whatever area Wallace gets a job in," she said with a shrug.

Jazmin was surprised. "Really? You'd pick your school based on your boyfriend? That's not very feminist of you," Jazmin teased.

"Well, I think if you're in a committed relationship, you should do what's best for both of you. Love should be selfless. It should be putting someone else's needs ahead of yours. If both schools are good for me, then I have no problems with Wallace choosing where we would live. I'll be in graduate school for two or three years plus residency. So where ever I go to medical school would be where we live for awhile. I'd want him to be happy. If not, we'd never make it as a couple," Thea said.

Jazmin smiled in approval. "I totally agree. My dad wants me to come home to Chicago as soon as I graduate, but Eli's family is here. He has younger siblings that need him. They don't have a father. All they have is him and his uncles. His grandmother is getting old. I could never ask him to leave Neptune. Not for many years," Jazmin said.

Jason realized she had a point. He knew Eli wouldn't easily leave home, but he'd hope maybe in a few years. But it'd take Jason a few years to get through law school anyway. A few more before he was active in his father's business.

"So you think you and Eli will be together for the long haul?" Thea wondered.

Jazmin smiled. "I hope so. I really do. No one's ever loved me like he has," she said. She wasn't ready to be intimate with him again, and he was being so patient, so wonderful about it. He seemed perfectly happy to simply hold her in his arms. "I'm really lucky to have him."

Jason put his arm around her shoulders. "I think he's pretty lucky, too," he said, giving her a fond smile.

Thea agreed. Jazmin was really sweet. She hoped this year was better for her.

******_That Evening******_

Dick and Mac were having dinner at the beach house with Logan, Veronica, and Trina. They both had a lot of stories to tell. Mac and Veronica shared amused looks as their men tried to out do one another in sharing details of their vacations.

Trina grew more annoyed as the stories went on. Finally, she complained, "That's it! I can't hear anymore! I am turning green with envy!"

Dick snickered. "Wall street can't plan a hot cruise for you?" he asked.

"Oh, don't you have an extended weekend in New York planned?" Mac wondered.

"What's this dude's name? We should have Mac run his credit and Weevil his name to see if he's some perv like David," Dick suggested

Trina rolled her eyes's at Dick's comment, but her face grew excited. "Clint is no criminal, but I don't care if you run him. You won't find anything. He works so much that we haven't gotten to spend much extended time together," Trina said. "MLK weekend is when we're going to do it. He's off that Monday and so is Logan and Veronica. Mary will watch Richie Friday until they get done with class. I'll be back Tuesday morning on the redeye."

"Sounds good to me," Logan said.

"You guys met in college, right?" Mac asked. "What's Clint's last name?" She really would run his name. Trina's notorious history made it a requirement to be careful. She had Richie now and needed to be extra cautious.

Trina nodded. "Yeah. We met at NYU the one semester I went. His name is Clint Ross. He wasn't overly impressed with my parents' fame, and it really pissed me off," she admitted.

Logan laughed. "I like him more and more!" he quipped.

"He seemed really nice at the wedding," Veronica admitted. "But I didn't spend much time with him." She was torn. She didn't want Trina to move to New York and take Richie away from them. In fact, Veronica lived in fear of that daily. But she did want Trina to find a nice guy. A guy that wasn't shallow or abusive like all her others. This guy was exactly the kind of guy Veronica wanted for her. Why did he have to be based in a state so far away?

"Maybe we should plan to go on spring break in New York City," Dick said with a wide grin. "I don't trust any guy I haven't gotten drunk with."

Mac and Veronica both rolled their eyes. "Such high standards you have," Veronica said dryly.

"You got yours. I got mine. Mine are much less self-righteous and annoying," Dick said smugly.

Logan put his arms around Veronica and cast a glare at Dick. "Hey, now. That's my wife you're talking about!" he exclaimed.

"I know," Dick said, grinning.

"Okay. As long as you know that," Logan said with a smirk.

"Gee, I'm touch by your show of defense," Veronica said dryly.

They all laughed.

Richie started waving his arms from his bouncy chair. That was his signal that he wanted to be picked up. Mac was closest, so she reached out and grabbed him out of the chair. "How's my little guy?" she asked him.

Dick smiled at the picture she presented as she played with Richie. He couldn't wait until she had his son. Or daughter. He found both genders equally cool. "Mackie, are you sure you don't want to get pregnant? We can have a little dude for Richie to play with!" he informed her.

"No, Dick. I'm not having a baby just so Richie has a playmate!" Mac said in exasperation.

Dick grinned and gave her a wink. Logan laughed. Veronica shook her head. "Children aren't just playmates, Dick," she told him.

"I know that, Ronnie!" he said, annoyed with her scolding. "But Mac looks so hot holding Richie, don't you think?"

Trina laughed at him. "You got it bad, man!" she observed.

Dick held out his arms, so he could play with little dude. Richie kicked his legs and gurgled to see him.

Trina smiled at them. Richie was going to grow up well loved and secure. He'll never know the insecurity that plagued her nor the abuse that Logan suffered. If she sometimes didn't feel like she wanted to be a mother, she figured that was okay. Richie had several others that will love him as much as her. She knew he was happy and well loved. It was funny how motherhood changed you even if you were a reluctant mother. Trina had always been prone to jealousy and insecurity. However, she wasn't like that with Richie. It didn't bother her at all if Richie was equally attached to Veronica. She knew she couldn't always be everything he needed, but she wanted him to have everything. No kid could ever have too much love.

Two hours later, Dick walked Mac up to her door. They'd stayed pretty late over at Logan's. He was trying to talk her into letting him stay the night.

"Dick, we have class in the morning," she said, smiling at his woe-be-gone expression.

"My first class isn't until ten!" he said smugly.

"Well, mine's at eight," she replied. "Tuesdays and Thursdays I don't have class until one, so you can stay tomorrow." She reached up to kiss him goodnight.

"That's it?" he asked in disappointment.

Max laughed at him. "Anticipation, Dick. Makes everything better," she told him. She patted his cheek and walked inside her house.

Dick frowned after her. She was a cruel woman!

******_Chapter End******_

_I will do my best to update at least every two weeks. Classes start back next week, so I will have less time to write. The chapters may be shorter, though! Thanks for reading. _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A New Semester

_******Monday at Heart******_

Daisy's first class was at 9am. She wasn't sure what she'd been thinking enrolling in a math class this early. Yawning, she walked out of the cafeteria sipping her coffee and headed to the math building. She thought about her date Saturday night with Leo. He was such a good guy. When Daisy had finally come clean with him about where her head and heart was at, he'd been really sweet. He hadn't tried to talk her into seeing him again. She sensed that he was tired of casually dating, so she didn't suggest they go out again. They had parted friends.

She got to her class a bit early and took a seat close to the door. Daisy didn't think statistics was going to be all that riveting, so she knew leaving as soon as the class was over would be a must. Since there was time to kill, she got out her cell phone. A voice interrupted her.

"Hi, Daisy."

Daisy looked up and saw Jazmin sit down in the seat next to her. "Hello," Daisy said warily.

"I guess we both had the bright idea to start the week with statistics," she said with a wry smile.

"Not sure what I was thinking," Daisy admitted. "It's not a good way to start the day."

"Well, I had an eight o'clock photography class, so it's not so bad for me. I try to stack the less fun classes in between ones I like," Jazmin said.

"Good idea," Daisy said. She wasn't sure what else to say to the girl who wasn't really her friend but not someone she could ignore. Finally, she said, "How are you doing?"

Jazmin smiled. "Much better. Thanks. I'm sleeping well, and I'm meeting with my therapist here on campus today. Three times a week should keep me sane," Jazmin said.

Daisy wasn't sure she was joking or not and looked uncomfortable. Jazmin laughed. "Relax. I was just teasing. My dad is really worried about me, so I scheduled sessions three days this week. I'm sure Dr. Addison will cut them back, but I wanted my parents to know I was serious about staying on top of things," Jazmin shared.

"Well, that's good," Daisy said. What else could she say? She didn't blame Jazmin for what she did, but she also knew her moment of weakness had hurt a lot of people, too. Daisy was an indirect casualty of her actions.

"So how about you? Settled into my old room?" Jazmin asked. She promised her brother that she'd make an effort with Daisy. Since they had a class together, Jazmin figured this was a good a time as any.

"Yep," Daisy said. "We're going to do some redecorating since you took your magic touch with you. Those are Mac's words."

Jazmin laughed. "I've seen Mac's websites. If she ever really focused on redecorating, I know she'd be good at it. So would Parker," she said.

"Maybe," Daisy said with a shrug. "But Mac thought of something else. She volunteered our house for her stepsister Madison to redecorate for her design class." She made a face.

"Madison Sinclair? Seriously? Madison isn't her stepsister. Just the sister of her sister," Jazmin said.

"Yeah, I know. But since the whole switched-at-birth thing is so weird, I found it simplifies things to just call her that. It'll also keep me from killing her," Daisy said. "Mac says I'm in charge."

Jazmin looked at her smug face and couldn't help but laugh. "I wish I could be there to see that show."

Daisy grinned. Their first real friendly conversation was interrupted when the professor came in and started class. Daisy wasn't sure why Jazmin was being so nice. Maybe she was so relieved that she wasn't dating Jason anymore that she was playing nice. Daisy frowned at the thought. Surely, Jazmin wasn't quite so calculating?

******_Later******_

Logan strolled into his Milton class and grinned to see a familiar face. "What's up?" he asked as he sat down next to Jason.

"Everything but my love life. What's up with you?" Jason asked.

"You don't seriously want me to rub in my happily-wedded bliss, do you?" Logan said with smug grin.

"No. Not all," Jason said, grimacing. Then he smiled. "But I'm glad things are going so well with you and Veronica."

"So I take it Daisy's still not ready to kiss and make up?" Logan asked.

"Well, she's ready to kiss but not make up," Jason said sourly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Logan inquired.

"She's allowed me to get close to her...you know..physically once or twice. Then she freezes me out," Jason said. "I haven't heard from her at all since your wedding." He looked glum at the thought.

"Daisy a complicated woman with a hot temper. Since I'm familiar with the type, take my advice. Don't repeat my mistakes!" Logan advised.

"What's that?"

"When Veronica and I broke up the last time freshmen year, I didn't handle it well. I spent most of my time moping, holed up in my room drinking. I blew off class and everyone. I was miserable, and she wasn't even there to see how miserable I was. I wasted a lot of time and energy. I didn't really fight for her. I basically let her go and wallowed," Logan said.

"So what should I do?"

"Stay busy. And make sure she can't forget about you. Make sure she still sees you. Out of sight is out of mind. At least when a girl can compartmentalize like my Ronnie," Logan said with a fond smile.

"I have a full load of classes and the paper. I was going to see if the coach would let me back on the basketball team, but maybe I should find something new," Jason said.

Logan shook his head. "You work harder than any rich kid I've ever met," he said in bemusement. "Don't you have, like, a business to run, too?"

Jason grinned. "Well, yeah. But Nico and Eli work more than I. Plus, we have Wallace working, too. I have a lot of energy, though," he said.

"You make me tired," Logan said, shaking his head. "You remind me too much of Veronica sometimes. She actually worked two jobs in high school while solving cases _and _was top of our class."

Jason laughed. Logan was a lucky man. He knew what he wanted, and he waited for Veronica. Now he had his happy ending. Jason hoped the same thing would happen with him.

*****_Lunch*****_

Dick met up with Mac in the cafeteria. "Hey, babe!" he said, sitting next to her. He gave her a quick kiss. "How was your class?"

Mac smiled. "Don't you mean classes? I have had two already!" she said.

"I can't believe you're taking eighteen credits this semester! That's insane! It's going to cut into my Mackie time!" Dick complained with a pout.

"My most time consuming classes will be next year, so I will have a lighter load my last two semesters. That way I can focus on them," she said. "We'll find time to be together." She reached out and squeezed his hand. "My classes are good. How about yours?"

"It was okay. First days are so boring," Dick said with a shrug.

Mac nodded in agreement. "Very true," she said. She saw Daisy getting in line to pay for her lunch. She waved at her roommate. Daisy saw her and Dick and headed toward them.

"Hey, guys," she said when she sat down across from them.

"Hey," Dick said. "Have you convinced Mackie that she's nuts to invite Medusa into your guys' home?"

"Medusa?" Daisy asked in confused.

Mac smiled and shook her head. "We took a mythology class together last semester. He learned some things," she said dryly. "He's talking about Madison."

Daisy laughed. "Oh, right!" she said. "Mac said I get to be the boss, so I think it could be quite entertaining, don't you?" She gave him a mischievous smile.

Dick laughed at her in delight and rubbed his hands together. "This is going to be fun!" he exclaimed.

"I didn't suggest that so you guys could torture Madison and cause me more problems with my family," Mac said with a frown. "This was a friendly overture."

"Sure, Mac. Whatever you say," Dick said easily. He winked at Daisy. He took a bite of his burrito. After swallowing, he asked Daisy, "So what's the dealio with you and the Wonder Twin? I know Mackie caught you making out with him at his house in Chicago. And don't think I didn't notice you two disappearing at the bridal shower. And I know you brought Leo to the wedding, but your brother told me you were caught kissing Jason at midnight."

Daisy was unable to meet his gaze for a moment. Mac could sense her discomfort and elbowed him. "Dick, leave her alone. She's not ready to talk about Jason yet," Mac said.

Daisy looked up and gave a half smile. "No, it's okay," she said.

"Hey, guys. Care if I join you?" Duncan asked, siting down next to Daisy.

"Of course not!" Mac said, smiling warmly at him. "How's Lily?"

"Great," Duncan said, smiling. "So what's up with you guys?"

"I was just asking Daisy Duke here what's the deal with her and the Italian Stallion," Dick said with a grin.

Daisy laughed. He came up with the most absurd nicknames. "Jason and I broke up. Obviously, there's still some residual feelings there. An attraction," she said.

"Don't lie! You love him!" Dick insisted. He made kissing noises.

"Dick!" Mac admonished.

Dick grinned. "Relax, babe. I'm just yanking her chain!" Dick said. "So are you and Leo a thing now then?"

Mac was curious about that herself. They hadn't had a chance to talk since her date Saturday night. "Leo's a good guy," she said.

"Yes, he is," Daisy agreed. "He's a real sweetheart. However, I'm thinking my New Year's resolution will be to not break anyone's heart. I told him where my head was at, and he understood. I think he's looking for a relationship."

"Poor guy. He keeps trying to date women out of his league. He dated Ronnie, you know. Back when she was in high school," Dick said with a grin.

"For like five minutes," Mac said dismissively. "Barely counts."

"He's got good taste," Daisy said loyally.

Dick looked at Duncan and asked, "What's new with you?"

"Busy already. I have my first game in another week, so we've got practice every day but Sunday," Duncan said.

"Remind us so we can come watch," Mac said.

"So did you hear the good news?" Dick asked him.

"What's that?" Duncan asked.

"The Pisster is leaving town," Dick announced with a grin.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling him that?" Mac asked crossly.

"Sorry," he said, unapologetic. He turned back to Duncan. "He got some radio job in L.A. Wallace is NOT moving out, which totally rocks! I'm not real sure that Weevil and me would be okay just the two of us!"

That comment made them all smile. Weevil and Dick were most definitely unlikely roommates.

"Is Parker okay with that?" Duncan couldn't help asking Mac.

Mac shrugged. "She seems okay. She says L.A. isn't that far away. They'll see each other every weekend."

Duncan kept his face expressionless and nodded. He tried not to focus too much on Parker and what didn't happen with her. Luckily, he had enough to keep him busy, so he wouldn't dwell on what he couldn't have.

"Good for them," he finally said.

Dick snickered and gave him a knowing look. "So maybe you and Daisy should hook up," Dick suggested with a wink.

"Excuse me?" Daisy asked icily.

"I'm just saying, you're in love with Jason. He's in love with Parker. You don't want Jason anymore, and he can't have Parker," Dick said, pointing between them. "The best way to get over someone is to get _under _someone new!"

"Dick!" Mac said, frowning. "That's not a healthy way to live your life. When you have real feelings for someone, it's not easy to turn them off and just hop into bed with someone else!"

"So they don't have to hop into bed. They can just hang out. If they don't want to sleep together, they can use each other as a shield," Dick said.

"Duncan is so not my type!" Daisy said with an eye roll.

Dick looked surprised. "He's not? An over-achieving rich, heir to a extremely lucrative business, who had a sister he adored and whose father is not above using his henchman to do his dirty work?" Dick pointed. "He likes fancy restaurants. Doesn't Jason?"

Duncan laughed. "Yes, Jason and I have things in common. Jazmin remarked on it more than once, but I'm a single dad. That makes me much different. Everything I do has to be about her. Playing around with Daisy is no way for Lily's father to behave!" Duncan said, shaking his head.

Daisy gave him a look of approval. "That's the most attractive thing about you, you know. Your devotion to your daughter," Daisy said.

Dick wasn't about to give up his new scheme. "So you don't do anything for real. It doesn't matter. It's about letting them think you've moved on," He said. He pointed to Duncan. "You get to make Parker jealous." He pointed to Daisy. "You get to finally convince Jason you're over him!"

Mac finally interrupted. "Okay, that's it! I think you've said enough, Dick," Mac said, getting up. "Why don't you walk me to my next class and leave them be!"

Dick immediately focused all his attention on his girlfriend. Daisy and Duncan watched them leave. They finished their lunch in companionable silence.

Outside the cafeteria, Dick threw his arm around Mac as they walked across the quad. "You really shouldn't push people like that, Dick. Jason really loves Daisy, and she loves him. She's just scared. Real love is scary and messy and sometimes painful," Mac said.

"I know, babe. I just think they can help each other. No one has to get hurt," Dick said.

"That's the thing, Dick. Someone always does," Mac said quietly. She gave him a hug goodbye before walking into her next class. She hoped that her friends could find the happiness that she found, but sometimes things didn't always work out the way you wanted.

_*****The Next Day*****_

Veronica was happy to discover that her afternoon criminal justice class contained both Weevil and Jason. She grinned at them and sat down in front of Weevil, who was sitting next to Jason.

"I can't believe you're in class with me, Weev. It's like a life long dream come true!" she teased, throwing her hands together.

"It's a good thing you're so cute 'cause you're _not_ funny," Weevil said with a glare.

Jason laughed. "I don't know about that. I think she's pretty funny," he said.

"So exactly how many classes are you taking?" Veronica asked Weevil. She already knew the answer, but this was the first chance she'd gotten to tease him mercilessly.

"Three," he mumbled.

"I bet your grandmother is so proud her boy has turned into a bona fide college student!" Veronica said with a grin.

"I see getting married hasn't tamed that tongue of yours," Weevil said with a disgruntled look.

"My tongue has gotten lots of exercise lately, so I'm in rare form," she said with a cheeky grin.

Weevil looked uncomfortable. "Not cool, V! I don't need to know what you do with your tongue!"

Veronica laughed at him in delight. "This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to tell Logan I have you in class with me! We can be study buddies!" she said.

"Great. Just what I need. Another Type A over-achiever telling me what to do all the time," Weevil said sourly.

Jason grinned at Veronica. "Poor baby," Jason said. "Guess you'll just have to suck it up."

Weevil's torture was ended by the starting of class. After it was over, the three walked out together.

"So are you and Jazmin all settled into your apartment?" Veronica asked Jason.

"Yes for the most part," Jason said.

"So when are you having me and my husband over for dinner?" Veronica asked. It gave her a small thrill to be able to refer to Logan as her husband. Who knew she'd be so into the whole marriage thing? Of course, she probably wouldn't if it wasn't for who she was marrying. A silly grin filled her face as she thought of him. Logan had been right. Being married did a make a difference. She felt different. Surprisingly, she liked how it felt. She liked knowing the tie between them was tangible to the world. Marriage made it real in an entirely different way.

"How about on Sunday?" Jason suggested. "Let me talk to Jazmin. Eli and I don't work, and I think she's free."

"I'm invited?" Weevil asked.

"Of course," Jason said. "We have to have you bring dessert, right?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's my grandmother? I don't bake!" Weevil said in annoyance.

Veronica and Jason both laughed. Veronica noticed Thea and Wallace sitting close together on a bench. She paused to watch them. Wallace had his arm around Thea as he listened to whatever she was saying. Thea was animated and smiling, using her hands as she talked. Wallace looked at her in a way Veronica had never seen him look at anyone. It struck her the way Wallace gazed at Thea.

"He really loves her," she said out loud.

Both boys looked at her in confusion. "Who are you talking about?" Weevil asked.

She pointed at the bench a few yards away. "Wallace and Thea. Look at them. Aren't they sweet?"

Jason smiled, glad that his old childhood rival had finally found a guy who really saw her. "Yes, they are. I don't think I've ever seen Thea look so attractive. It's like Wallace lights her up from within," he observed.

"That's how it should be," Veronica said, linking her arm through Weevil as they resumed their walk. "My brother has finally found his match. She's not at all who I would've picked for him—I'm not sure I knew someone like her existed—but she's so great. I didn't think he could be a better person than he already was. If he'd stuck with someone like Jackie, I'm not sure he would've been who he will be with Thea. Thea will make him be the best version of himself that he could be." She finally understood now that it wasn't about finding someone to love or someone to love you. It was about finding the right someone. Someone that would build you up and not tear you down. Someone that would challenge you and leave you better for knowing them. Logan did that for her as she did that for him. It made her incredibly happy to see Wallace with someone that did the same for him.

Jason watched them a moment before saying goodbye to his friends. He couldn't help but wonder if that was the problem with him and Daisy. Maybe they didn't do that for one another. He had felt so great when he was with her, but maybe that's not how it was for her. Maybe she didn't think Jason made her a better person. All he managed to do was hurt her. Regret filled Jason as he walked to his final class. He wasn't quite sure how he to unhurt someone. How could he be a better version of himself? How was he going to get her to forgive him? He really believed he could make her happy if she'd let him. Somehow he didn't think she was going to easily let him back in.

******_Chapter End******_

_I know this isn't the most exciting chapter, but I hope you enjoyed getting an update. I don't have nearly the amount of drama, angst, or tragedy for this installment. It's going to have some, but it's mostly going to be about them living their lives and staying connected. I hope you like it anyway!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A Bitter Root

*******_Friday at Neptune High School*******_

Lauren Sinclair walked into school excited about the day. She'd gotten a solo in her choir's winter showcase. She was the only sophomore to get one, and today was the first day of rehearsals. The previous two years had been so unbelievably hard, so awful that she was glad the new year was starting off so well. Distracted, she hurried to her locker to get her books for her first class. She failed to notice the whispers or looks. Some amused, others concerned. When she got closer to her locker, she finally noticed the wall of students near it. Frowning, she pushed through them.

"Excuse me," she said.

Her friend Sara came up to her, her eyes troubled. "I didn't know if I should take it down or if you'd want to see it. I was going to go get the principal," Sara hastily explained.

Lauren frowned in confusion. "Take what down?" she asked. Then she saw her locker door. A gasp came out of her as she stopped and looked at the poster decorating her locker. It was a picture of her. One where she wasn't smiling. Her eyes looked sad and lonely. However, someone had obviously photo-shopped her image because she was bald in it. An obvious cancer victim. The caption read, "Cancer Girl Given Solo." There were musical notes above the words so that it was clear what it was referring to.

Lauren stood frozen, unable to believe anyone could be so cruel. They had taken something that had meant so much to her and destroyed it. It implied she hadn't earned her solo, but she had been gifted it as a pity gesture for the cancer girl.

Ryan McKenzie had gotten a text as soon as he arrived at school. One of his friends warning him that someone was messing with his sister Lauren. Ryan's hands clenched as he read the message. He and Lauren had instantly connected ever since the whole baby switch revelation had come about. He knew that Mac was not his blood sister but the awful Madison was. He had no use for her. However, he really liked Mac's sister Lauren. She had become like a little sister to him—one he didn't know he wanted. When the rumors had begun circulating about them around school because he was always by her side, he'd proclaimed her a sister since she was his sister's sister. He didn't bother explaining the exact connections to many people—only his closest friends. They knew, though, how protective of her he was. Although Ryan was no 09er, he was immensely popular. One of those guys that all groups liked. He was smart but not too smart. Athletic but not too athletic. Good-looking but not too good-looking. It helped that his best friend Brad was an 09er. Even though they were just sophomores, most people in school knew who they were. It helped that Ryan had started dating a cheerleader recently.

He marched into school ready to do battle. Ryan shoved his way through the ocean of bodies surrounding Lauren's locker. His eyes widened in surprise then anger when he saw the poster on her locker. Lauren seemed immobile as she gazed at it. Reaching for her hand with one hand, he reached out with the other and tore the poster off the locker. He glared at his audience.

"Who put this up?" he demanded. The students surrounding the locker looked around in confusion and denial. He heard giggling nearby and saw his girlfriend Kristen standing with a few other cheerleaders. Kristen looked guilty while Nicole Pomrey and Amanda Bishop looked entirely too pleased with themselves. Ryan suddenly realized this was probably the result of Mean Girl drama. Uncertain how to proceed, he barked, "You guys think this is funny? What's wrong with you? Leave now!"

The students started to scatter as the first bell rang. Ryan looked at Lauren, her eyes filled with unshed tears. He knew she was trying hard to not let them see her cry. He didn't understand girls sometimes. Lauren was the sweetest, kindest girl he'd ever met. And the bravest. He wasn't sure he could've faced what she had so well. Not without being very angry at his fate.

He made a show of tearing the poster into pieces. "Do not waste any of your energy on this crap! That's all it is. Bullshit. Some people don't have anything better to do than drag others down," he told her.

She nodded. She knew this. "I know," she said softly. She struggled to blink back the tears and gave him a grateful look. "I got a solo in the choir's winterl showcase. I beat out several upper classmen, including Nicole and Amanda."

Ryan nodded in understanding. "Figures," he said in disgust. "Nicole thinks she much prettier and talented than she actually is."

Lauren smiled warmly at him. He always managed to find the right thing to say. "Thanks. I better get my books," she said. She didn't voice the thought that was now in her head. Maybe she hadn't earned her solo. Maybe she'd only gotten it because her teacher felt sorry for her. That thought upset her more than the poster.

Ryan waited for her to get her stuff. He slung his arm around her shoulder after she closed her locker door. "Walk me to my locker?" he asked.

She nodded. However, before they could get down the hall, Kristen came up to him. She flashed Ryan a winsome smile and gave Lauren a compassionate one. "I'm so sorry about that, Lauren!" she said. Lauren was never sure how to take Kristen. She always seemed sincere but sometimes Lauren would catch her looking at her with a frown, as if she didn't get why she was hanging with Ryan.

Ryan removed his arm from Lauren and reached out to take Kristen's hand. "We're about to go to my locker. Wanna come?" he asked, smiling at her.

She returned his smile. "Of course," she said as she fell into step with them.

"You need to get some new friends," Ryan said. "I don't know why the ones you have now have to be so spiteful and mean."

"We're on the cheerleading squad together," Kristen explained. "That doesn't make them my friends."

Lauren wasn't quite sure about that. She had the three of them in her geometry class. They seemed quite close to her. "Well, I need to get to class," she said carefully, stepping away from Ryan. "I'll see you guys at lunch." She started to walk away, hating to feel like a third wheel, when Ryan reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her.

He gave her a searching look. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine. It's not the worst thing that's ever happened to me," she said lightly. Then she regretted her comment when his eyes darkened unhappily. Ryan had never had a family member with cancer. He'd never really lost anyone close to him. Reminders of her sickness always upset him even though her cancer was—in many ways—what had brought them together. "I'm sorry. I just meant it's not a big deal. I'm fine. Thanks, though." She turned and walked down to hall toward class.

Ryan frowned at her retreating back. He hated being reminded that she was in remission for cancer. It wasn't the first remission she had had. It was just the only one that had occurred because of Mac's bone marrow donation. Ryan didn't like to think about what would happen if her leukemia came back. He knew that the survival rate of leukemia was quite high compared to some other forms, but it still frightened and upset him to think about.

Kristen saw his frown and sought to distract him. She rose up on her tip toes and kissed him. When he returned her kiss, she relaxed. Kristen wasn't always sure his feelings toward Lauren Sinclair were brotherly. But they'd only been dating a few weeks. Not nearly long enough to make any waves about his other relationships. She would bide her time.

******_Sunday******_

Dick walked into his kitchen Sunday morning yawning. He never slept well anymore without Mac next to him. Last night, they'd had dinner together at a her favorite restaurant, but he'd been unable to convince her to stay at his place. She wanted to get to work early at Faces before brunch at the Sinclairs. He waved at Weevil, who was sitting at the table drinking coffee and eating a bagel.

"Your coffee in here is better than mine," Weevil said, feeling the need to explain his presence. He really enjoyed the surprisingly cozy pool house, but he still felt uncomfortable in the main house.

Dick grabbed the coffee pot and shrugged. "You can drink whatever you want whenever you want. I've told you that like a million times. You live here," Dick said. He looked at Weevil and noticed he was dressed up. "What's with the clothes? Isn't your place closed on Sundays?"

"Yeah, we don't work on Sundays. I'm going to mass. Jason and Jazmin will be here in a bit to pick me up. We try to go to mass at least once a month," Weevil said. "It makes our grandparents happy. Their grandparents are as devout as my grandmother."

"Mass? Is that like church?" Dick wondered.

Weevil looked at him to see if he was joking. When he realized that Dick honestly didn't know, he shook his head in amazement. "Yes, it's church. Catholic church. I take it you're not religious?"

"I went to Lily's christening. Lilly Kane's funeral was in a church. Beav's funeral was at the graveside," Dick said. "I consider the ocean my church."

"Don't let my grandmother hear you say that," Weevil said. "Confession is good for the soul. So she tells me."

Dick laughed. He was a bit envious, though, of Weevil's grandmother. He wished he had one. An idea occurred to him. "Do you think I could, like, go with you?" he wondered.

"If you wanted. Sure," Weevil said with a shrug.

"You don't have to be, like, Catholic?" Dick wondered.

"Nah. Anyone can go. Don't take communion, though, unless you feel like it," Weevil advised.

"What time does it start?" Dick asked.

"Well, we were going to go to the ten o'clock mass, but I can call Jaz and tell her eleven," Weevil suggested.

"Good. I'll go wake up Wallace. He can come, too," Dick said with a grin. He drunk down his coffee before heading to the stairs. He bounded up them two at a time. He stopped at the first door and banged on it. "Wally-World! Wakey-uppy!" He pushed open the door. Wallace opened his eyes and glared at him.

"Dude, what's your deal? I got up at the crack of dawn yesterday to go surfing with you! You were supposed to let me sleep in today!" Wallace grumbled.

"It's after nine, dude. I did let you sleep in!" Dick said with a grin. "We're going to go to church with Weevil. There's an eleven o'clock mass."

Wallace sat up and gave him a confused look. "Mass? Us? Why? You're not religious and I'm not Catholic," Wallace said.

"So. It's all the same right? Baby Jesus and all that?" Dick asked.

"No, it's not the same. Protestants don't do confession or holy water or pray to saints," Wallace said.

"So we won't do any of that. What's the big deal?" Dick inquired.

Wallace looked at him curiously. "What's the sudden interest in church?" Wallace asked. "Is something bothering you?"

"No. Just thought it'd be cool," he replied with a shrug. He had spent a few tormented weeks after his brother died contemplating the existence of hell and whether or not his brother had been sent there or not. Then he figured if God really did exist, He'd surely have compassion on someone who was as messed up as his brother. "You don't have to go if you don't wanna."

Wallace sighed in resignation. "Fine. I'll go. Let me get in the shower," he said. He knew Dick didn't like to do many things without a close friend with him. Wallace figured that stemmed from always taking his brother Cassidy with him everywhere. Unlike Wallace and Darrel, they had been much closer together in age.

Dick grinned. "Cool! I'll have Weevil make us some pancakes," Dick said. He had quickly found out that Weevil's skills in the kitchen far out weighed theirs.

An hour later, they were on a pew in a semi-full church. Neptune only had three Catholic churches. This was the one that was closest to campus and had the most college students. The one Dick had been to before was the one in the 09er district—Duncan's church. Dick had been surprised to see Daisy there with his fraternity brother Chip. He didn't know Chip went to church. They had arrived earlier and were sitting closer to the front. Dick sat at the end of the pew next to Wallace who was next to Weevil. The twins were on Weevil's other side.

The singing wasn't too bad since they had a really good choir. Dick was really digging the musical arrangement of the voices. As he listened, he realized he hadn't heard a choir since high school. Madison had been in the choir freshmen year before she discovered cheerleading. The church choir, though, sounded better than the choir he recalled from high school. Then the priest started his sermon. This was the part Dick figured would put him to sleep. However, this priest was younger than Duncan's priest and passionate. He managed to keep and hold Dick's attention. The priest was talking about forgiveness and how unforgiveness hurt the wronged party more than the one who wronged you. Unforgiveness led to bitterness and bitterness ate away at the soul.

Dick thought about that. He figured it was a good point. Then the priest started talking about how some people were good at compartmentalizing, putting bad things out of their mind. He said that seemed to be a good solution because the person wasn't as angry or bitter. However, the priest insisted that later on the anger and unforgiveness would spill out, destroying future relationships. It was a bitter root that must be weeded out. The priest ended his sermon suggesting the congregation spend a few moments in silent contemplation or prayer. "Search your heart. Is there anything you're holding onto? Anything that might one day poison your happiness and relationships?" he asked. "If so, face it. Ask God to help you forgive. Only through forgiveness will you be free and happy."

Dick thought about the priest's words. He wondered if he'd forgiven his mom for abandoning him and Cassidy. Had he forgave his dad for encouraging Dick to be cruel to his brother? Had he forgiven himself for not seeing how damaged his brother was? This was on his mind as the service was concluded. He decided he wasn't going to come up with any answers that morning. He'd have to talk to Mac about it. Mac always knew how to make things better whenever he was struggling with something.

Jazmin suggested they go grab some lunch. Even though Dick had eaten before church, he figured hanging out with his friends would be cool.

"That's fine with me," Dick said with a shrug.

Jason agreed. "I'm going to go say hi to Daisy," he said.

He slowly walked to intercept Daisy with her brother Chip. She looked wary when she spotted him. Chip looked annoyed.

"We're going to have to find a new church," Chip said pointedly. Daisy put her hand on her stepbrother's arm in warning. He glared at Jason before moving away to say hi to Dick.

"Sorry about that," Daisy said. "Chip is still kind of mad."

"I get it. I'd be the same way if Weevil hurt Jazmin the way I hurt you," Jason said, a note of sorrow in his voice. "How are you? How was your first week?" He hadn't seen her since the wedding, and he couldn't help but drink her in. She was as beautiful as always. He'd missed seeing her, talking to her, even holding her hand. He clenched his fist so that he wouldn't try to reach for her.

"It was good. How about yours?" she asked.

"Fine. Full," Jason said, dismissing the subject. He really wanted to talk about something more important. Something that mattered. "So what did you think of the sermon?"

"I think it's much easier to preach forgiveness than to do it," she said with a shrug.

"I wish you'd forgive me," Jason said tiredly.

"Forgiveness won't mean things will go back to the way they were," Daisy pointed out. "I don't think we're good for each other." She wasn't sure that was true, but it was all she could think of to say. It hadn't dawned on her when she came into church that he'd be here. He always went to ten o'clock mass. She hadn't had a chance to steel herself.

"You don't?" he asked, looking more upset than she'd have thought over her words.

"Do you?" she asked, instead of answering.

"I thought so. But what do I know?" he said dejectedly. "I'll see you around." Then he turned and walked away.

Daisy found herself shaken by both his words and the pain he seemed to be in. She wanted to forgive him, but she was afraid.

******_Mac's Place******_

It was late in the afternoon and Madison was due to arrive at anytime. She glared at Dick, who sat on the couch with his bowl of popcorn. "There will be _no _show!" Mac said firmly. "Madison is going to look at the place, take some notes, and talk to Daisy. That's it!"

Dick grinned knowingly. "Keep telling yourself that, babe!" he said as he threw a kernel in his mouth.

Mac rolled her eyes in annoyance. The doorbell rang. "She's here. Behave and don't instigate anything!" she ordered, giving him a pointed look.

"I'll be good. It's not me you should worry about!" Dick said as Daisy came down the stairs.

"Is that the doorbell? Is Madison here?" Daisy asked.

Mac opened the front door. "Yep," she called over her shoulder. "Hey, Madison. Come on in."

Madison managed a smile. She was conflicted about this assignment. Although she knew she needed the project completed for class, she wasn't sure it was a good idea to use Mac's house. On the other hand, her mom was practically beaming with joy and approval when she left the house to come here. Madison knew it was important to both sets of parents that she and Mac get along. Although she still didn't care much about Mac, she wasn't as bad as her best friend Veronica. At least Veronica didn't live here.

"Thanks for letting me do this," Madison said to Mac.

"No problem. You remember Daisy?" Mac said, introducing.

"I'm unforgettable," Daisy said airily, causing Dick to snicker. He watched Madison to see if she'd give her normal snide response. Madison bit her lip. Dick laughed out loud at her restraint. Mac glared at him.

"So let's get started," Mac said. "I'll give you the grand tour."

Daisy decided to let Mac show Madison around, and she sat down on the couch next to Dick. "I can't believe you dated her," Daisy said, wrinkling her nose.

"She could be fun," Dick said. "She got much more unpleasant after Lilly died, though."

"I'm going to enjoy telling her what to do," Daisy said with a grin.

"Yeah, I know you will," Dick said, grinning. "So how come you didn't come hang out with us at lunch?"

"You know why. I don't want to hang out with Jason. It's awkward," Daisy said.

"It doesn't have to be. It wasn't like a small group. With you and Chip there, you wouldn't have had to sit nowhere near him," Dick said. "The priest said you should forgive or you'll be poisoned by bitterness. Don't you think you should get over it by now? It's not like the dude cheated on you or anything. His sister almost died. His dad is majorly scary. Who can blame the guy for needing to take a beat?"

Daisy glared at him. "I do!" she said. "I deserve more than his crumbs."

Dick frowned. "I guess so, but I don't think he was trying to give you crumbs. He was just scared. I know I was pretty messed up when my brother died," Dick shared.

Daisy gave him a compassionate look. She couldn't imagine what Dick must've felt when his brother committed suicide. Dick's frankness on the subject was surprising, though. "I know Jason was scared. Maybe I'm just not the right person for him. You're right. I should be more understanding," Daisy said with a sigh. "I just don't want to be, I guess."

Their conversation was interrupted by the reappearance of Mac and Madison. Daisy rose to her feet. "So are you ready to get started? I'll tell you my ideas," she said with a bright smile. "I hope you brought a notebook, so you can take notes."

Madison nodded and reached into her purse for her small notebook. This was so not going to be fun.

*******_Later That Evening*******_

After his disappointing encounter with Daisy earlier, Jason wasn't really in the mood to socialize, but plans had already been made. Jazmin was gracious enough to make dinner, and he promised to clean up. Eli came over early to help her. They were trying out a recipe of tiramisu for dessert. Jazmin knew Veronica had loved her grandmother's when they were in Italy, so she had called her to get the recipe. Jason had told her about his exchange with Daisy at church, so she knew he wasn't in the mood to socialize. She, however, was looking forward to the dinner. The doorbell rang.

"They're here!" she said excitedly. Since she was still busy in the kitchen, she called to her brother. "Let them in."

Jason got up from the couch to answer the door. He put on a smile and opened it.

"Welcome. Come on in. You're just in time," he said, stepping back to let them in.

Veronica handed him a bottle of red wine. "Your sister said to bring red," she said.

"It's perfect. Thanks," Jason said.

Veronica looked around with interest at the apartment. She hadn't been over since they'd unpacked. "It looks like you've settled in nicely," Veronica commented.

"It's not much bigger, though, than the place you and your dad lived in," Logan commented.

"Which was big enough. But the hot water sucked," she said, remembering.

"So far we haven't had any hot water problems," Jason said, smiling.

Eli appeared to greet them. "Hey," he said.

"There's my little college buddy," Veronica teased. Eli rolled his eyes.

Logan couldn't resist adding, "So when are you going to show up in one of my classes? I want to have those joy-joy feelings your presence brings."

Eli flipped him off. "Never!" he vowed.

"So did you bring dessert?" Logan asked, a wicked glint in his eyes.

Eli rolled his eyes. "No," he said.

Jazmin appeared. "We just finished making it. Tiramisu. My grandmother's recipe," she said.

Veronica squealed in delight. "Oh my God! If it's half as good as your grandmother's, it's going to be awesome!" she exclaimed.

"It goes well with the lasagna I made. I don't cook as much as my grandmother, but that's something I make well," Jazmin said.

Logan grinned. "It's been awhile since I've had homemade lasagna. Too bad my ball and chain here can't feed me like I deserve," he said, smirking at Veronica.

"I'm going to show you ball and chain if you ever call me that again!" Veronica warned with a glare.

Logan laughed and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her against him. She elbowed him in the stomach. "Down, Bobcat! I was teasing!" he assured her.

"Some jokes aren't funny!" she said, trying to hold on to her frown. She loved being teased about being his wife, but she figured she owed it to all women to not let him get away with that one.

"Well, I hope you're hungry because it's ready," Jazmin announced. She led them to the small kitchen area that was just big enough for a good size round table.

"It's a good thing you didn't invite anyone else," Logan said as he pulled out Veronica's chair for her.

"Yeah, Nick should've picked out a three bedroom for us. There would be more space," Jason agreed.

"This is big enough," Jazmin said. "Our bedrooms aren't next to each other since the bathroom and laundry area are between them. That's all I care about."

"Very true. I don't need to hear Eli when he's staying over," Jason said, snickering.

Since it'd been too long since Jazmin had given him a reason to be loud, Eli didn't comment. When he noticed Jazmin looking away, obviously uncomfortable with Jason's remarks, he reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. She looked up at him, and he gave her a look so full of love and heat that she blushed. Jazmin knew he'd wait for her as long as she needed. It made her feel so treasured to know how much he loved her. It wasn't about sex with him; it was about her and how much he loved simply being with her.

Jazmin decided to change the subject. "I thought you might bring Richie. Didn't you tell me Trina was in New York this weekend?" she asked.

Logan nodded. "She'll be back Tuesday. We gave her a stay at the Four Seasons in New York City, so she could spend some time with her new boyfriend as her Christmas gift. Since tomorrow is MLK day, he was off work," Logan explained.

"Dick and Mac are watching him. We dropped him off before we left," Veronica shared.

"Dick gave us a blow by blow of Madison's decorating consultation with Daisy today," Logan said, smiling.

Jason's eyes darkened at the mention of her name. Veronica noticed and couldn't resist asking, "Is she still keeping you at a distant?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah. We saw her at church today," he said.

"I don't know what's wrong with her! Jason's apologized like a dozen times!" Jazmin said hotly.

"Sometimes an apology isn't enough," Veronica said.

"And some women won't even let you apologize," Logan added, giving his wife a smirk. "Or they delete your apology voicemail without actually listening to it."

"Only when the guy starts it off accusing you of stuff," Veronica countered. She looked back at Jason. "Don't let her forget what you mean to her, though."

"That's just it. I don't think I mean much to her. Maybe I never did," he said quietly. He sipped his wine. Jazmin passed around the salad bowl.

"Not true. You mean too much," Veronica insisted. "That's why she's being so stubborn. Out of sight, though, is out of mind. If she's able to get used to you not being there, a reconciliation is harder. Logan started dating one of my friends after we broke up the last time. He didn't even wait a full month."

Logan opened his mouth to protest. "That's because I was tired of being so miserable. And Parker was nice to me. Unlike you!"

Veronica stuck her tongue out at him. "Not the point," she said. Then she turned back to Jason. "If you really want her back, don't let her forget how things were between you."

"We don't have a single class together this semester. I didn't see her on campus at all this week," he announced glumly. "I guess Mac helped make sure our schedules were different."

Veronica looked guilty. "Probably," she admitted. "But if it didn't hurt to see you, she wouldn't have wanted that. Logan and I got back together mostly because he was in one of my classes and I got to see him all the time. We became friends again."

"True," Logan agreed.

Jason nodded, his mind thought of a few things he could do to keep Daisy aware of him. "Thanks," he told him.

"So I want to hear all about how Daisy tormented Madison," Eli said. "What did Dick tell you?"

Veronica grinned and launched into the story Dick shared. Her tale was interrupted by Logan's moan of ecstasy as he took his first bite of the lasagna.

"Oh God! This is amazing!" he declared. He looked at Jazmin would new eyes. "So do you want to be a sister-wife and marry me? You can be our cook!"

Jazmin laughed while Veronica glared. "Seriously? Not even married a month and you're already proposing to one of my friends!"

"She better start giving you cooking lessons if this marriage is going to work," Logan said, a teasing light in his eyes.

"You're going to regret that," Veronica said. She leaned over and whispered in his ear so quietly he barely heard it. "I can go much longer than you without sex. Remember that."

Logan's eyes widened in alarm at her threat. He put his arm around her. "I was just kidding, snookums. You know I have money enough to pay a cook if I wanted one. No one can replace you!" he assured her, kissing her cheek. Their friends laughed.

Eli liked seeing Veronica so obviously happy. Even her mock anger had no real heat to it. "Marriage agrees with you, V," he said to her.

Veronica beamed. "It really does," she said, looking up at Logan. The love between them was tangible to their audience. Their happiness served to make Jazmin and Eli smile. Then Veronica took her first bite of the lasagna. "Okay, he's right. You totally need to live with us!" she said to Jazmin.

Everyone laughed.

_*****Chapter End*****_

_I hope you enjoyed this update! Thanks for reading._


	5. Chapter 5

**So my computer got infected with a virus and I had to wipe my hard drive. I lost two chapters; both were two of my crossover stories. I'm too bummed to try and rewrite them, so I decided to update this one. Thanks for reading and sticking with my very long winded post season 3 world! **

Chapter 5: Family

_*****MLK Day****_

Veronica was lying on her side on their bed. She and Logan had little Richie in between them. She had gotten him up and fed and bathe him while Logan slept in. It was after nine, so she had brought him in to wake up his uncle. So far Logan was sleeping soundly. Veronica had laid Richie on his stomach close to Logan's face. He hadn't quite figured out why his uncle wasn't giving him the attention he normally did. So far he'd hit the bed with his little hand trying to get Logan to look at him. Veronica had refrained from waking Logan because she was enjoying watching Richie struggle to reach Logan. She loved to see him grow into a new phase in his development. It was exceedingly fascinating to watch. She had never spent much time around babies and was still surprised to discover the new things Richie could do. Lately, he was more and more excited and animated when he recognized someone he loved. It was so amazing to see how naturally and effortlessly a baby loved. Veronica was happy that she now only got a small pang when she looked at him and thought of her baby that was lost.

Finally, Richie scooted so close to Logan that his little hand was within touching distance. Veronica couldn't resist moving him slightly higher on the bed. She grinned when Richie reached out to slap Logan's cheek. He gurgled and did it again. Logan finally opened his eyes.

"Your nephew has been trying to get your attention for five minutes!" Veronica said, grinning.

Logan gave a sleepy smile. "Someone wore me out last night!" he said. He reached over and picked up his nephew. Kissing him, he laid him on his chest. "Good morning, little man."

Richie smiled and patted his chin. Logan grinned, the cobwebs clearing. "So what do you want to do today?" Logan asked her.

"I was thinking we could go get Lily and take them to the Children's Museum in San Diego. We haven't gotten to spend much time with Lily outside of wedding plans in quite a while. Her birthday was kind of ignored by us since it was so close to the wedding," Veronica suggested.

"That sounds good. We should get Darrel, too, since there's no school," Logan suggested.

"Good idea. We should see if Dick wants to go," Veronica said. "Mac probably won't have the time. She has a first project due this Friday for one of her classes."

"Already?" Logan asked in surprise.

"Well, you know those computer classes always assign program designs or web page stuff," Veronica said with a shrug. She reached over to take Richie. "You get showered, and I'll call Alicia and Duncan."

An hour later, they were at her dad's picking up Darrel. Her dad had the day off and opened the door to greet them.

"Hey, Dad," Logan said with a grin, trying out the new title.

Keith smiled and reached out a hand to grip Logan's shoulder. He gave it an affectionate squeeze. "New son. Here to take my other son?" he asked with a wink.

Veronica laughed. "You went from no sons to three! And I never had to share my toys growing up! How great is that?"

Keith gave her a hug as Logan sat the baby carrier down Richie was in. "Well, you were the best son a dad could've asked for!" he joked.

"The kind of son that can give you a grandson some day?" Veronica reminded him with an arch of her eyebrow.

Keith got an eager look on his face. "Are you trying to tell me something? Are you expecting?" he asked excitedly.

Logan grinned. "Not yet! But you never know since she's not on birth control," he shared, giving her a leer.

Veronica's face flushed, and she glared at Logan. "I can't believe you said that in front of my dad!" she fumed.

"Does that mean you want to get pregnant?" Keith asked.

"Just because I'm not on birth control does _not _mean we aren't using some kind of birth control," she said as delicately as she could.

Much to Veronica's relief, Darrel came into the room, forcing an end to the embarrassing topic. "I'm ready!" he said. "Where's Lily?"

"We're going to get her next," Logan said.

"We'll bring him back probably before dinner. Definitely before dark," Veronica told her dad.

"Hey, you can have him," Keith said with a wink. "I tried to give him away to the mail man, but he said the price of postage was going up. I didn't have any money on me!"

Darrel rolled his eyes. "Your jokes get lamer and lamer!"

"That's a good point," Veronica said, nodding. "Dad, you need to quit spending so much time with those deputies of yours. They are too in awe of you to provide good fodder material. Makes me miss Lamb. He was always good for something at least."

"The butt of your jokes," Logan said with a knowing smirk.

Keith frowned unapprovingly. "Let's not speak ill of a man who died in the line of duty. Whatever his faults, he died honorably," Keith reminded them.

"True," Veronica acknowledged. "We'll catch you later." Darrel said goodbye and then headed to Duncan's.

Lily was ecstatic when they arrived. She had developed a serious case of puppy love for Darrel and followed him everywhere at the wedding after he had danced with her once. Now she got to spend an entire afternoon with him and her godparents. Duncan smiled indulgently at her as she greeted them exuberantly.

"Dick isn't here yet? He said he'd meet us here," Logan said.

"No," Duncan said.

Logan pulled out his cell to text him.

"He's going to have to drive himself. We should've had him just meet us there," Veronica said. "He won't want to ride in the back of the SUV."

"Why don't you let our driver take you guys? There's no sense in taking two cars anyway," Duncan said.

"Sure," Logan said. He glanced at his wife.

Veronica shrugged. "That's fine, I guess."

Duncan went to tell his driver when Dick pulled up.

He came inside and clapped his hands. "Let's get this party started!" he announced.

"Dickie!" Lily shouted and ran to embrace him. Dick scooped her up.

"How's my favorite Lily-pad?" he asked, grinning at her.

"Darrel's coming, too!" she informed him, obviously overjoyed over the fact.

"He is? Well, we'll have to show him how to have a good time, won't we?"

"Yes," Lily said, nodding seriously.

Dick grinned at her. "I have never been to the Children's Museum. Is it way cool?" he asked Lily.

"Yes. Grandmother took me one time. We didn't get to play much, though. But there's lots of fun stuff," Lily said.

"I haven't been before," Darrel said.

"Yeah, Neptune doesn't have any fun places for kids except the park and pool," Veronica said.

They left to enjoy their day of fun. Later, that evening Dick was giving Mac a play by play of all the fun she missed. Mac smiled fondly as she listened. "It sounds like I missed out on a great day. We'll have to go again when Richie is older and can enjoy it more," she said.

"Absolutely!" Dick agreed.

They were in her bedroom. She was sitting on her bed with her laptop on her lap, finishing up her project. A few strokes of the keyboard and she declared, "I'm finally done!"

Dick grinned. "You are? Does that me I get to play with _you_ now?" he asked eagerly.

"I'm all yours," Mac said, flashing her dimple at him. She closed her computer and sat it on the nightstand.

Dick wasted no time in crawling onto the bed, leaning over her. "What should we do first?" he asked, kissing her neck.

"Well, we haven't been together in three whole days, so I think you should show me how much you missed me," Mac suggested, giving him a coy smile.

Dick rose up onto his knees and pulled off his shirt. He'd already kicked off his shoes when he'd first came into the room. Then he leaned back over her and fused his lips to hers, kissing her hungrily. A few minutes later, his lips had moved down her throat, his hands busy unbuttoning her shirt. Soon, he had it off and unclasped her bra. She gasped in pleasure when he put his mouth to one of her breast, sucking on it. He used his hand to squeeze the other, knowing what she liked. Just when things were getting interesting, her phone rang.

"Don't stop!" she said as she moved to see who it was. Dick gave her a wicked grin and trailed his lips down her stomach. He began unbuttoning her pants as she answered the phone.

"What's up, Marilyn?" she asked. She raised her hips slightly as Dick removed them and her panties. She gave him a heated look as she half listened to her bio mom talk. Dick pulled her legs apart and made himself at home between her legs. He began kissing the inside of her leg as she struggled to focus on what her mother was saying. She bit back a moan when he inserted a finger inside her. "Uh, huh," she said into the phone, trying to listen. When he started pumping his fingers in and out of her, she bit her lip to stifle the moan of pleasure. Dick flashed her that wicked grin of his. "Marilyn, I'll come by tomorrow after class, so you can tell me this in person. If Lauren needs me, I'll be there," she said in a rush to end the call. Marilyn said something that she never got as she quickly ended the call because Dick had moved his lips to her core. "You are so bad!" she said on a gasp as his tongue plunged inside of her.

He pulled back and gave her a leer. "You like me bad and you know it!" he declared. "You may look like an innocent school girl, but I know you!" He loved that he was the only one that got to see her naughty side. It made it even hotter.

"Someone upset Lauren at school on Friday. Marilyn thought I should come see Lauren," Mac said. When Dick resumed kissing the inside of her other leg, she smiled at him. "How about we talk later? You have work to do!"

"I never asked why she called," Dick pointed out.

Mac laughed. "True. So I'll quit talking," she said. Then she frowned as she noticed his clothes. "You have too many clothes on!"

Dick rose up and quickly remedied that. Then he resumed making love to her. After he'd spent a full hour pleasuring them both, he collapsed on the bed next to her. She curled into his side and sighed in contentment. "Are you staying the night?" she asked.

"Unless you plan on kicking me out of your bed," he replied, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

"Of course not!" she said. "I don't have an early class on Tuesdays."

They laid in comfortable silence, both long past the time where they felt they must always speak. Finally, though, Dick asked, "Do you think you've forgiven Cassidy for what he did?"

Mac was surprised by his question. She turned to face him. "What brings this up?" she wondered. Dick was often random, but that was random even for him.

"I went to church with Weevil on Sunday and the priest was talking about forgiveness and how unforgiveness can lead to bitterness and destroy your other relationships," Dick shared. "I was just thinking about how hard it was to know you'd forgiven someone that wasn't alive."

"Do you feel angry when you think of Cassidy and what he did?" Mac asked him.

He thought about it and shook his head. "Not anymore. Mostly it makes me sad, so I don't think about it. I'd rather think of the good times."

"I feel the same way. Your brother kept a side of himself from both of us. He let his pain turn him into someone that didn't care who he hurt. That doesn't mean we have to hate him like his victims do. We can remember the good in him and be grateful for those," Mac said.

"So you've forgiven him?"

Mac nodded. "Yes, I have," she said softly. Dick look relieved. Mac reached up to kiss him. "I love you and your big heart."

Dick looked sheepish. "I love you, too."

"Why the sudden interest in church?" she inquired.

He shrugged. "Not really interested. Just something to do. Weevil was going. That kind of interested me. I never saw him as the church going type," Dick admitted.

"He's Catholic. His grandmother raised him, and she's very devout. Some of it was bound to have rubbed off on him," Mac said.

"If we got married someday, would you want to be married in a church?" he asked.

"Probably. I was raised Presbyterian. There's a nice church in my neighborhood we went to. If we didn't do a destination wedding, I wouldn't mind being married there," she shared.

Dick's eyes perked up at the mention of destination wedding. "Destination wedding? That'd totally rock! We can get married in Vegas on purpose!" he said excitedly. "Or at Niagra Falls? Paris? Hawaii?"

Mac laughed. "Well, after we graduate, you can surprise me with a proposal. _Then _we can talk about it!" Mac told him. Somehow she didn't think a church wedding was in the cards for the two of them. She didn't mind. She liked knowing he had no doubts about their final destination as husband and wife.

"It's a date!" Dick vowed.

"So are you done showing me how much you missed me?" Mac wondered.

"Not even close," Dick declared with a wide grin. "We better get some food in me, though, 'cause I'll need the fuel!"

Laughing, she reached over to grab the take-out menus she kept in her nightstand top drawer.

******_The Next Day*****_

Jason had decided that he needed to be more strategic with Daisy. He'd gotten Veronica to email him Daisy's class schedule. He had planned out various ways to "accidentally" run into her. Now that he knew what building her classes where in, he was bound to find her. He sat on a bench in front of one she was supposed to be coming out of shortly. Pulling out his phone, he pretended to be busy while keeping an eye out for her. In less than two minutes, he saw her coming out. He debated on letting her spot him or in getting her attention. Then he decided if she saw him and walked away he still wouldn't have gained any ground.

He stood up and put himself in her way. Daisy spotted him. He was glad when she didn't immediately turn away. She paused and waited for him. "Hi," he said, flashing her a warm smile.

"Hi," she said. Daisy knew seeing Jason on campus was something she needed to get used to.

"How's things going?" Jason asked.

"Fine," she replied. "How's things with you?"

"Good," he said. Didn't they used to talk so freely? Why was he having so much trouble now? Words always came so easily to him. "How many hours are you taking?"

"Fifteen. Two on Tuesdays and Three on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays," Daisy said.

"Do you want to get a coffee with me at the food court? Do you have time?" Jason asked, deciding to take a chance.

Daisy wasn't sure what he was doing. They'd broken up. Didn't he get that it hurt to see him? Why couldn't he get that? "No. I don't really want to," she said. When he looked right down glum at her answer, she added, "I don't think I'm quite ready to just hang out and be friends with you yet."

Jason frowned. "I'm not wanting to be friends. I mean, I'd like you to consider me your friend, but I want to spend time with you. I miss you, Daisy. I don't want you to forget me. I want you to miss me, too," Jason said. He gave her an imploring look.

Daisy was caught off guard by his words and found herself admitting, "I do miss you, Jason. That's why I don't want to have coffee with you. It's too hard. It hurts to be around you. I need more time."

"Will you forgive me?" he asked.

"I'm working on it. I need some time," she said.

He nodded. "Okay. If that's what you need, I guess I can give it to you. I just don't want you to move on to someone else," he said. "Are you still seeing the deputy?"

She shook her head. "No," she told him. "He was looking for more than I was willing to give him."

Jason felt reassured at her words. "That's good. I know he's a good guy, but I love you. I don't want you to be with someone else," he said earnestly.

"That's what happens when two people break up," Daisy reminded him.

"Maybe so. But not if they still love each other and belong together," Jason said.

Daisy was finding him hard to resist. She did love him. Maybe she should give him another chance. She was starting to weaken when they were interrupted.

"Hey, Daisy," Duncan said, figuring she would be glad to be rescued from an awkward encounter with her ex. He acknowledged Jason with a nod. Jason didn't look happy to see him. "So we got our first soccer scrimmage this weekend. Do you think you can come?"

"Sure. I'll be glad to go. I like soccer. It's not very popular in America, though," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Duncan said. "But it's gaining in popularity. We could use some fans."

"Well, count me in. I'll have Mac come, too," she said.

"Do you have another class? I'll walk you," Duncan said. The two of them started talking, completely ignoring Jason, who couldn't believe it.

Daisy suddenly realized how rude she was being and paused to look back at him. "I'll see you around, Jason," she called over her shoulder.

Jason did _not_ appreciate Duncan untimely interruption. It felt like Daisy was about to give him a chance. He decided that he'd make a point of being at Duncan's soccer game. At least then, Duncan wouldn't be able to interrupt!

*****_Sinclairs***** _

Mac stopped by to see her sister after her last class. Lauren wasn't home yet, so she chatted with Marilyn. Marilyn filled her in on Lauren's recent upset. They decided to let Lauren tell her about it. Mac was telling her about her classes when Lauren came home.

"Mac!" Lauren said with a happy smile. "It's good to see you!"

"I was hoping my favorite sister would go get a frozen yogurt with me?" Mac suggested. "I'll get yogurt. You can get ice-cream, of course."

Lauren grinned and looked at her mother. "Go ahead, sweetheart. You girls have fun," Marilyn said, glad to see her daughters together.

Mac took her a nearby place. After they'd each ordered a cone, Mac found them a corner table. "So how's things going with you?" Mac asked.

"Pretty good. I got a solo at our winter showcase," Lauren shared, giving her a shy smile.

"Really? That's so great! When is it? I am totally there!" Mac said excitedly.

"Next month," Lauren said. She looked uncertain for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Mac asked, deciding to prod her.

"Nothing really. Just some stupid girls at school trying to make out like I only got the solo 'cause my teacher feels sorry for me. You know. 'Cause I got cancer," Lauren shared, looking glum.

Mac grew angry at the thought of anyone being so unkind to her sister who'd been through more than most people face in a life time. She remained calm, however. At least on the outside. "Are these girls in choir, too?" she asked. Lauren nodded. "Did they get solos?" Lauren shook her head. "Then it should be pretty obvious they are jealous and trying to ruin this for you. Don't let them. Pick a kick ass song and silent all the critics!"

Lauren grinned. "Do you think I can?" she asked.

"I know you can. I'll help you practice!" she offered.

"I was thinking of singing Celine Dion's song, "My Heart Will Go On" or "I Will Survive"," Lauren shared.

Mac laughed. "Both powerful. Both very hard to sing!" Mac said.

"Yeah," Lauren said sheepishly.

"Well, you'll have to sing them to me. I'll help you pick!" Mac said, excited for her. It was nice feeling like she could finally be there for her sister. Although she regretted the years they lost and probably always would, Mac was happy that they were now a family.

******_Wednesday******_

Logan went into Faces Wednesday afternoon. He'd just begun going through his messages when Trina came into his office. She'd had a great time in New York with her new boyfriend. Logan couldn't actually remember the last time he'd seen her so happy. He smiled at her as she sat in the chair across from him. "You still got that smile on your face that you'd been wearing since yesterday," he observed.

She gave him a sheepish look. "Yeah, I know. I can't help it! I'm really happy. And excited," she shared.

"I'm happy for you, sis. You deserve to be happy," Logan said.

"Logan, I could really love this guy," Trina said, more serious than he'd seen her in a long time.

"He's that great? What does he think of you having Richie?" Logan asked. Not many guys wanted to seriously take on another man's kid.

"I don't know really. He likes kids. He doesn't seem bothered by the fact that I'm a mom," Trina said.

"I guess it's hard to get him interested in Richie if he never gets to see him. New York is far away," Logan said. He had an unsettling feeling in his stomach.

"That's what I want to talk to you about. Now don't overreact. And please, please, don't say anything to Veronica yet," Trina said.

"I don't keep things from Veronica," Logan said flatly.

"I had a meeting today with the Goldsmiths," Trina announced. "They agree that we need to seriously look at New York City for a new opening Faces."

Logan blinked, not expecting that. He'd expected her to talk about going to New York with Richie, but he hadn't thought she'd bring their business into the equation. "It's too soon. We agreed to wait a year."

"It's been six months. We finished the year in the black," Trina pointed out. "It'll take a few months before an office could be opened. It'll be about a year by the time it's ready."

"Is this about Clint?" Logan asked.

"Not completely. We talked about this from the beginning. New York has always been in the plan, but yeah, now that I'm seeing Clint I'm more motivated to get it going," Trina admitted.

"You'd leave Neptune? Take Richie away from all of his?" Logan asked, feeling sick at the thought. This was Veronica's greatest fear.

"We can worry about that later," Trina said dismissively. "Let's focus on opening a New York office. Everything else will work itself out."

Logan gave a bitter laugh. No matter how far she can come, some things never changed. Trina would do what she wanted and assume nothing bad would happen because of her actions. Or she didn't care enough to worry about consequences.

How could he back any idea that would result in taking Richie away from him and Veronica?

*****_To Be Continued******_

_I appreciate your reviews. Please, share your thoughts! Thanks!_


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